Coal-mining machine.



t t l i ICHX P. GILMOIR, OF TERRE HAUTE, INDIANA.

COAL-BENIN G MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 11, 1908.

pplication tiled February 7, 1908. 'Serial N o. f11i,' 23.'

T 0 al? unltom. it may crmfrrn:

Be in known that I, JouxY P. GunroUn, citizen ai the United States, residing at Terre Haute. in thev countyv of Vigo and State of lndianar. have invented new and vuseful Improvements in Coal-Mining Machines, of which time following is a specification.

My invention pertains to coal mining machines :and more particularly to the cutterheads nihereof; and it has for its object to provide a cutter-head embodying simple,

raetiemll :and etlicient antilfriction bearings or sup-porting a cutter chain incidental to the :rasage of the sante over the ends of the heat this with a view of preventing undue wear ot' the arts and saving power in the operation of t ie machine- 'itln the foregoing in mind the novelty, utility and practical advantages of the invention be fully understood from the following description and clairns when the same are read inuconnection with the drawings, accompanying :and forming part of this specification, im which:

Figure l is a view, partly in side elevation and parrly in section, of the cutter-head constitutingT the best practical embodiment of my invention known to me. Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken through one of the anti-friction bearings o the head, with the cuttere--iain omitted. Fig. 3 is a detail view showing the lrelative arrangement of one of the Wheels of my improvements, the removable t therein, the circumferentially groove@ journal and one circular series of anti-friction balls.

letters designate corresponding arts in all of the views of the drawings, re-

eri-ingy ao which: t

A is mbe frame of the cutter-head, which is preferady, though not necessarily, made up of side plates (t havingr circular enlargements b at their ends, and a l-:tng'itudinally disposed bar cixed between the side plates in position to hold the cutter chain against rearward sagging and to its work.

" is tithe cutter chain. which is preferably of the conventional construction, though it may he of any other construction compatible with time purpose of my invention withoutv iny volvinfg departure from the scope of same as deinen'i in the claims appended. It will also be unu-erst-ood by reference to Fig. 1 that the chainB is adapted to pass around the frame A in tine ordinary well known manner.

C Czare the anti-friction bearings for the cutter chain, which arearranged between -the side plates of the frameA at the ends thereof.

These bearings are identical in construction and therefore a detailed description of the one shown in Fig. '2 vwill suflice to impart a definite understanding of both. The said bearing, Fig. 2, comprises a sprocket or other suitable. wheel d having a circular or other suitable bore e, a metallic ring arranged in the said bore of the wheel and uesigned when worn to be removed and replaced by a new ring with a view of prolonging the usefulness of the wheel, a threaded bolt g disposed transversely in the frame and having a capplate h at one end, which plate is arranged 1n an opening i in 'one side plate of the rame and .las its edgey beveled correspondingly to the wall of the opening so that the ca i-plate is flush with or countersuuk in said sidle plate of the frame, a disk threaded in a direct-ion opposite to the bolt and engaging a correspondingly threaded opening c in the other side plate of the frame and having a central threaded aperture l which receives the bolt g and serves to hold the same against casual movement or displacement, a. journal m having a. central'threaded aperture p which receives the bolt g, and also having one or` more, preferably two, parallel circumferential grooves l', anti-friction balls s arranged in circular series in the said rooves and interposed between the, jour-na. and the wear ring f and annular dust-excluding washers t, of felt or other material suitable to the purpose interposed between the wear ring and the journal and arranged at the outer sides of the two series of anti-friction. balls.

By virtue of the combination of the exteriorly threaded disk i with one side plate of the frame A and the bolt y, it will be manifest that when the disk is turned out of the threaded aperture in the side plate and off the bolt g all of the parts of the bearing ma be readily removed from the frame; the dis j heilig preferably, provided in its outer side with sockets j to permit of a Spanner wrench or other implement being engaged therewith. It will also be gathered from the foregoing that rotation of the wheel d as the cutter chain passes over the same is attended by little or no friction, and consequently my novel bearing serves to materially prolong the period of usefulness of the machine as a whole, and at the same time saves considerable power in the operation of the machine. It will fin-ther be noted that notwithstandtoward the right in the plate ay it will draw the bolt g in a direction away from the other plate a, while when disk j is turned toward the left. it will move the bolt g toward such other plate.

In assembling the parts of my improvements, the sprocket wheel d and the ring f therein are arranged between the frame i plates a, after which the bol t g with the jou.-

nal m thereon, the balls s in the grooves r of the journal and the washers t on the journal are placed in the ring With this done, the disk j is turned into t 1e threaded aperture of the plate a, whereupon the bolt g and the cap plate h will be drawn in the opposite direction and the said cap plate will be tightly seated in the opening i.

As before'stated, the construction herein illustrated and described constitutes the best practical embodiment of 'my invention of 2.30 which I am cognizant, but 1 would have it understood that in the future practice of the `invention such changes 1n the form, constructlon and relatlve arrangemet of parts may be n`1`ade as fairly fall within the scope of my inven'aion as defined in the claims appended.

vQHaving described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, `is:

1. Ina cutter-head, the combination with .40 a frame comprising side plates one of which is providedwith an opening having an inwardly beveled wall and the other of which is provided with a threaded opening, of a bolt Aing a threaded aperture receiving the threaded bolt, an interiorly threaded journal mounted on the threaded bolt and disposed between the frame plates, a wheel surrounding the saidv journal, and a `cutter chain passed over the wheel.

2. In a cutter-head, the combination with a frame comprising side plates one of which is provided with an opening having an inwardly beveled wall and the other of which is provided with a threaded opening, of a bolt disposed transversely in the frame and threaded cppositely to the threaded opening in one frame plate and having a. cap or head occupying the opening in the outer frame plate and beveled correspondingly to the wall of the latter opening, an exteriorly threaded disk arranged 1n the threaded opening of the frame plate and having a threaded aperture receiving the bolt, an interior-ly threaded journal mounted on the bolt and disposed between the frame plates, and having circumferential grooves, a wheel in which is a wear 'rinv surrounding the journal, annular dustexc uding washers surrounding the journal and interposed between the same and the wear late, and a cutter chain passed over the w reel. 'i

In' testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing wit-` nesses. JOHN l. GILMOUR.

Vitnesses: y

W. L. HoLDAwAY, L, G. HUGHES. 

